5 things to know about Bruins acquisition Garnet Hathaway

Bruins Hathaway was acquired with Dmitry Orlov from the Capitals Thursday afternoon.

On Thursday afternoon the Bruins bolstered their league-leading roster by acquiring defenseman Dmitry Orlov and right wing Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals.

In exchange for the duo, Boston sent Washington Craig Smith and three draft selections, including a first-round pick in 2023.

Trade is official:

Bruins acquire:

Dmitry OrlovGarnet Hathaway

Capitals acquire:

2023 first-round pick2024 third-round pick2025 second-round pickCraig Smith

Washington also retains 50% of Orlov's salary.

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 23, 2023

The Bruins already sit nine points ahead of the next-closest team in the NHL, and with this trade they add two 31-year-olds with 11 years of postseason experience between them. 

Hathaway is now on his third team after signing with the Flames as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and then signing with the Capitals in the 2019 offseason.

Bruins fans might most remember Hathway for a hit he laid on Brad Marchand, but there’s plenty else to know about the hard-nosed player.

Here are some key things to know about the Bruins’ new winger.

He’s a bruiser.

Sure it’s hard to love Hathaway’s hits if you’re rooting for the other team, but the calculus changes when he’s laying out guys for your favorite squad. 

In his press conference following the trade, Bruins GM Don Sweeney mentioned the anxiety he thinks Hathway can bring to opposing players and the difference he can make killing opposing power plays with his 6-foot-3-inch frame. 

So far this season Hathaway has brought it on the defensive end, with 65 blocks and 198 hits as a winger. That block number is higher than any Bruins forward this season and put him fifth on the Capitals at the time of his trade.

As for those hits, no Boston player has had that many since the 2018-19 season, and there are still 25 games left on the team’s schedule.

Any fans sitting behind the boards at TD Garden are going to get to know the name Hathaway very quickly. 

He’s a New Englander.

Raised in Kennebunkport, Maine, Hathaway is quite familiar with New England. In high school he elected to come to Massachusetts and attend the Phillips Academy prep school in Andover, where he played hockey all four years.

Hathaway played alongside Rangers winger Chris Kreider while in high school.

After his senior season in Andover, where he led the team with 37 points, Hathaway chose to attend Brown, where he played the entirety of his college career. 

As a senior Hathaway was given the coaches’ award for the “member of the team who generates the most spark and enthusiasm in building team spirit.” He finished his Brown career with 58 points in 121 games.

He’s not a big time scorer.

Throughout his career, Hathaway hasn’t wowed anyone with his offensive skillset. In his 432 career NHL games, the winger has 54 goals and 62 assists. This season he recorded 16 points in his 59 games with the Capitals, 14th-best on the team. 

Hathaway rarely sees action in the offensive zone, and his 14.8 offensive zone start percentage this year is the lowest of his career. 

Garnet Hathaway has the lowest offensive-zone faceoff percentage (18.25) among NHLers this season (min. 500 minutes of 5v5 ice time).

Despite those limited O-zone reps, he's still scored nine goals and 16 points this season.

He's an upgrade down both ends of the ice.

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 24, 2023

When given the opportunity though, he can put pucks in the back of the net. 

Bruins fans may remember when Hathaway netted two goals against them in one game in the 2021 playoffs.

He will break opponents but not the bank.

While Hathaway and Orlov may have come at a fairly high price in terms of draft capital, it’s because the Bruins are saving money with their contracts as well as getting two talented players.

Hathaway’s $1.2 million salary this year will be the seventh-lowest figure on the Bruins, and his deal is also expiring after this season. 

Orlov is also on an expiring deal, and Boston got Washington to take on half of what he is owed for the rest of the season as well.

He has great durability.

Over the last two seasons Hathaway has played in 135 of a possible 142 regular season games, and he got on the ice for all six of the Capitals’ postseason games last year.

Hathaway has played in at least two thirds of his team’s regular season games each year of his career and has not missed a playoff game. 

While the Bruins haven’t struggled with the injury bug all that much during the course of the season, it never hurts to add an extra winger who has shown he can stay on the ice.